Professional Learning Communities

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) provide a systematic means of improving instruction and school culture. The professional learning community (PLC) model gives our schools a framework to build teacher capacity to work as members of high-performing, collaborative teams that focus on improving student learning. The framework requires our schools to have a solid, shared mission, vision, values, and goals; collaborative teams that work interdependently to achieve common goals; and a focus on results as evidenced by a commitment to continuous improvement.

During the 2019-2020 school year, teams of teachers, curriculum/professional development teacher leaders, instructional coaches, and principals will meet most Fridays to answer the four driving PLC questions:

What do we want students to know?

How will we know that they have learned it?

What do we do if they didn’t learn it?

What do we do if they already know it?

Some teams may span buildings as art, music, PE, elective teachers, and other groups to be able to have these important conversations. In other buildings, the work will continue at grade level or in content areas. Support staff such as special education and gifted education teachers, academic interventionists and teacher librarians will be part of teams within buildings to offer input in decisions about what students need to move forward.

The district has embraced this process and will continue to actively support staff in this important work. Our students deserve our best. PLCs provide the framework for all staff to work collaboratively for the success of ALL.

Quality teaching is not an individual accomplishment, it is the result of a collaborative culture that empowers teachers to team up to improve student learning beyond what any one of them can achieve alone. (Carroll, 2009).